My mom called me yesterday to discuss the Oscars. (Couldn’t talk Monday; still in boredom-induced coma from the Lifetime Achievement speech.) She’s an American Idol fanatic, so she was thrilled to see Jennifer Hudson gain nine pounds—in gold-plated copper, that is. She was not happy, however, to see that Jennifer Hudson has been losing weight in other places.

Jennifer looked amazing in her dress—especially after she wisely ditched that heinous snakeskin bolero in time to accept her award. But apparently some people wanted her to look slightly less amazing. In other words, fatter.

The Idol reject (oh, sorry: Academy Award-winning actress!) admitted she’s been trying to get in shape the old-fashioned way, by waking up before dawn and running her ass off, in the most literal sense. And it’s working. She looks good. But not everyone is supporting her—fans and reporters alike have accused her of caving in to industry pressure.

Let’s be honest. The girl is not exactly going to get knocked over by a stiff breeze. She’s still gorgeous, curvy, and refreshingly normal. But she’s also looking out for her health, which is not a bad thing. There’s a big difference between a daily jog and a steady diet of lattes and cocaine, and I think Jennifer is very squarely on the right side of the spectrum. Here's the breakdown: She gained 20 pounds to play Effie, which meant shoveling in cake and cookies to offset the calories she was burning during the dance scenes. Then she dropped 25 pounds by trading the sweets for salads and grilled chicken. Her diet rule: “Every portion of food I eat should be no bigger than my hand.”

It’s true that some—okay, most—stars go to unhealthy extremes to lose weight. But we shouldn’t expect the rest of them to ignore their health in the interest of rebelling against the norm. There’s a happy medium, so props to Jennifer for finding it. And, again, for ditching that fugly bolero.   

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written by Susan, May 20, 2007

This is regarding the comment Joan just said. Are you trying to say that Jennifer Hudson can't sing? If you are that is ridiculous and I do sense a little jealousy?

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written by ladydi, March 29, 2007

nice write up..agree with everything you said...

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written by joan, March 06, 2007

Am I the only living person that was not blown away, overly impressed, etc. by Jennifer Hudson? I was disppointed that she won academy award as I didn't think the role deserved it. I also think she sings loud and big - but does that make her good? I just don't see it